Hello everyone! I'm incredibly nervous to be back and writing for this fandom again because I'm sure the audience has changed since I took a sabbatical.

It's been about four years since I've written something for Superman/Wonder Woman. I've decided to come back and write for this lovely pair. This story will take elements/themes from my unfinished work (Cathedral) but with entirely different plot, setting and events. You don't need any prior knowledge of that story to read this one.

I have always been a fan of alternate stories and this one won't be any different. This is an extremely AU story. I'm not really following any specific medium but will take elements from various mediums and combine them together.

I apologize for the long author's note. Hope you all enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Now, let's get to the actual story.

Rated M for violence and eventual sex.

Chapter One: Rumors in The Empire

He should consider himself lucky to live in the home that he did. He lived a life of luxury and was able to go and come as he pleased and he'd never gone without. All of his needs were met and sometimes he felt a twinge of guilt living in a large mansion while the Empire's citizens lived in smaller homes.

When he was a child he looked forward to celebrations held in the Emperor's palace. Due to his parents' positions as council members he was given special treatment by Emperor Zod and his wife, Empress Faora. Each year he was showered with gifts on his birthday and he looked forward to his special day each passing year.

That soon came to a slowing halt when his mother suddenly fell pregnant with his siblings after his tenth year. The news came as a shock and he was somewhat disappointed that he was going to be a brother after he spent so many years alone with his parents. He didn't like the idea of sharing his parents at first but after the birth of his siblings he quickly grew to love and cherish them.

Eleven years later he still felt the same about his brother and sister. Today was his special day and at the age of twenty one, he no longer looked forward to celebrating his birthday. Each day he oversaw his father during council meetings in the morning and then returned home to study.

He always thought his parents had a very loving relationship. Early in their marriage he witnessed that they could barely keep their hands off each other. That seemed like a distant memory. Every day when his parents came home after attending meetings with the Emperor and council, they were emotionally and mentally drained which caused a lot of bickering.

He expected this day wouldn't be any different.

Cooped up in his room studying he heard his mother's voice outside in the hallway. He lifted his nose out of the tablet and peered at the doors, listening to his mother berate his little sister. Sighing, he swiped his hand over the tablet, turning it off and went to see what the commotion was.

He swung open the door and the bickering ceased. He stared down at his kid sister and smiled warmly then shot a glare at his tall mother.

Lara nervously smiled at her son and brushed her hands along the black long sleeves of her form-fitting gown. "Kal, were we interrupting your studying?" she asked.

"I was almost finished anyway. Why are you yelling at Valora?"

"It's not important," she shrugged it off. "I hope you haven't forgotten about your party tonight at the palace. The Emperor has something special planned for you, so your father tells me."

"I'm sure," he said coolly.

Valora grabbed her brother's arm. "Am I invited to the party?"

Before he could get a word in his mother interrupted him. "You will be staying here with me and Bru," Lara told her. "Another time, perhaps?" she held out a hand, "come, let's leave your brother to his studies."

He stood back and watched his sister trail off with his mother. He wondered why his mother was so curt but he deduced it to her being stressed over work for the Empire. He didn't know what happened during those meetings but he witnessed his mother's mood change drastically over the last year.

Once a kind and sweet woman now turned into a bitter and disdainful woman. He hated to see his mother in this state but every time he addressed the subject to his father he was dismissed.

Jor-El finished his daily meeting with the council and he packed up his belongings in his private office to return home for the day. He didn't know why he bothered to go back home when he had to be back at the palace this evening for Kal's birthday celebration.

He thought it best to stay here but he knew that Lara was going to be upset if he didn't return. It became quite a chore to see his wife every single day in the palace and only to see her face at home as well. He knew that his wife was incredibly stressed with the amount of pressure Emperor Zod was putting on her recently. Lara's aggressive behavior was beginning to affect the livelihood of their children and he wished she wouldn't bring her stress home but it wasn't something he could control.

He certainly stopped trying to control his wife and continued to delve into his work to occupy his wandering mind. As he sat, searching the tablet on his desk, he eyed another meeting that was to come up later this week. He dreaded that meeting but he had to be there.

Sighing heavily, he rubbed his clean shaven chin and then lifted his eyes to a figure standing in the doorway. Caught off guard, he rose from the chair and bowed.

"Empress Faora," he greeted with his gaze directed to the floor.

She sauntered into the office with a smug smile. "You may look at me, Jor-El. This visit is off the record. I want to talk to you."

He reluctantly lifted his head, staring at her trim figure dressed in black robes and a gown that clung to every little curve of her body. He averted his eyes as she neared his workspace. He quickly closed out of the digital documents and rounded the desk to greet her properly.

"What did you want to talk about, Empress?" he asked, meeting her icy eyes.

She adjusted the elaborate headpiece guarding her raven hair and smiled at the councilman. She leaned against the desk and casually tapped her fingers on the tabletop. She couldn't help but notice the sweat dripping down his forehead.

"I want to talk about your wife."

He whipped his head towards her. "Lara?"

"Mhm." She nodded. "I do admire your wife's work, Jor. She is a valuable asset to the Empire," she went on to say. "But there is one little problem." She closed the space between them, their chests almost touching. "There have been quite a lot of complaints about her recently. I'd hate for the word of mouth to reach my husband," she threatened.

Jor wiped the sweat off his brow and took a step away from her. "What kind of complaints? I'm sure Lara meant no harm. She is a servant of the Empire."

She snickered. "I'd like it to remain that way." She traced her finger across his chest. "There's been talk that she supports the rebels. I do like your family, Jor. It'd be wise of you to keep your wife in line."

"Those are just rumors, Empress. Lara would never betray the Empire. She is…" he held his breath as she enclosed in on his personal space. "She's stressed to meet her quota."

"Of course she is," she flashed a devious smile. "Make sure that they're merely rumors and we'll keep this between us, yes?"

Jor nervously smiled at Faora. "As you wish. I will speak with her."

She nodded. "Very good. I will see you this evening."

"This evening?"

"Your son's celebration."

"Oh yes," he nods in affirmation. "I must be going. Empress," he inclined his head and scurried out of his office.

Kal sat with his little brother, overseeing the project that Bru was working on. He advised him on what tools to use for a new machine that was supposed to project a holograph of the entire world. He admired his little brother's ambitions and determination to see the project through even though the project was far too complicated for a child.

He saw much of his mother in his little brother. Both were incredibly intelligent but also sensitive in comparison to Jor-El. Despite his siblings being twins they were completely different personality wise. Valora was far more outspoken than her twin brother and spent more time in the lab, conducting odd experiments that infuriated her mother.

Bru toyed with the wires of the spherical projector and grunted as he ripped one of the wires out by accident. Kal smiled and offered to help ease the boy's frustration.

"You don't really need this wire," he said. "It can be replaced but it won't prevent the machine from operating correctly."

Bru scratched his head. "If I don't need the wire then why is it there in the first place?"

"Whoever designed this didn't know what they were doing." Kal inspected the small machine. "Where did you find this?"

"In mother's office," Bru whispered.

"Ah," he eyed his mother sitting, reading off a tablet in a corner of the living space. "Why were you in her office? You know you're not supposed to go in there without her permission, Bru."

The little brother slouched in posture. "Mother keeps a shelf full of old stuff! I was looking for her yesterday and I found that," he gestured to the machine. "I wanted to see if it works and that's why I took it."

Kal sighed and set down the metal sphere. "What if mother looks for this and she can't find it?"

"How is she going to know? She never looks on that shelf, Kal!" he giggled mischievously.

Jor-El stormed into the room and set down case filled with his work. Disgruntled and disturbed by the brief meeting he had with Faora, he set his gaze on his wife who was reading and taking notes in her usual spot. He smiled at his sons and Bru ran over to greet him.

He smoothed a hand over the boy's dark hair. "Have you been studying like I told you?"

Bru nodded. "Yes, father. I didn't cause any trouble today."

Jor paddled his son's head and then sternly looked to Kal. "We'll be leaving to the palace for your celebration soon. This is more than just celebrating the day of your birth, Kal. You will finally meet the High Eminence Lor-Em. He is looking forward to meeting you. He might question you on our laws so I hope all of your studying has paid off."

Kal felt the pressure to represent his family in front of the most important person on the council. He'd heard that Lor-Em was very particular on who he allowed to be on the council board.

"I have memorized all of the laws of the Empire, father. I won't disappoint you."

Jor curtly nodded. "I sure hope so, Kal. Excuse me, I need to speak with your mother."

He jaunted over to Lara and placed a hand on her shoulder. She met his cerulean eyes and tapped his hand then turned off her tablet. By the seriousness written on his face she knew that he had something to get off his chest and took his hand, following him into an adjoining room.

"Faora spoke to me in my office," he whispered, keeping his voice down so his children wouldn't hear.

Lara folded her arms. Whenever Faora was mentioned nothing good could come of it.

"Why did she come to your office? She never gives private meetings to council members."

He tiptoed around the subject with extreme caution. He wouldn't dare tell his wife that the Empress had eyes for him despite being married to the most powerful person in the Empire.

"She told me that there are rumors spreading," he said. "About you."

"Me?" she pointed to her chest.

Jor inhaled heavily and took his wife's hands firmly. "She said that people suspect that you side with the rebels. I know that isn't true, Lara. Who would start such an absurd rumor?"

She swallowed and turned her cheek, peering from behind the wall at her daughter, reading quietly on the floor.

"Lara?"

"Yes?"

"Tell me that they're just rumors. Tell me that they aren't true," he whispered.

Her icy blue eyes faltered and the grip on her hands tightened. She flinched, not able to look her husband in the eye.

"Lara!" he hissed. "You know that our family is under heavy surveillance. Anything you say is not private in the palace! You work for the Empire! You don't have the luxury to voice your opinion on the way Zod runs his Empire."

"And you're telling me that you agree with everything? The way he runs this Empire? Jor, do not play yourself for a fool. You share the same thoughts as I do!" she snatched her hands away and crossed her arms.

Jor blocked the doorway and she tried to side-step him. He grabbed hold of her arms and their eyes met a serious staring contest.

"Promise me that you will not speak freely anymore, Lara."

"Shouldn't you be on your way to our son's celebration?" she shoved him, brushing arms as she passed through the doorway.

Nervous couldn't even begin to describe the way he was feeling right now. The second he walked into the vast palace all eyes were on him. Several council members, important families in the Empire, soldiers of the Empire's military and politicians gawked at him. This wasn't a traditional birthday and he feared meeting Lor-Em.

He was practically dragged around the large room by his father, forcing him to greet the members of the council. They made their way around and there was the High Eminence Lor-Em, chatting with a few of his subjects.

Jor-El pushed his son forward with a gentle hand and the council leader turned, smiling at the El men. Jor wanted to make a good impression on the councilman but Kal's silence was unnerving and albeit disrespectful.

"Jor-El, you must be proud that your son will soon follow in your footsteps," said Lor-Em.

Kal kept staring at the elder, utterly intimidated by the way he carried himself. He was much worse than he imagined. The councilman was not only tall like a looming tower, but he had a certain aura about him and now knew why his father was so worried whenever he was called into Lor-Em's office.

"He has a long way to go but he continues to study every day. Isn't that right, Kal?" his voice stern.

Kal nodded and bowed his head to the High Eminence leader. "I will make sure that I represent my family to the highest standard in the council in the near future, High Eminence."

"Very good." Lor-Em chuckled at the young man's uneasiness. "Jor, how is your wife? I do enjoy her company. She is a delightful woman."

Jor-El was mildly disappointed by his son's lack of confidence. "She is at home with our youngest children."

The councilman nodded his head slowly and kept smiling at Kal-El, intrigued by his coy nature. He certainly wasn't like Jor-El even though they shared similar features. Kal reminded him of Lara and that was probably why he thought the shyness amused him so much.

"I must commend your wife for birthing your children in such an untraditional Kryptonian way, Jor. Let us not hope that becomes a trend." He said with an underlying tone of disdain. "Excuse me, I need to meet with Commander Ursa."

Jor and Kal both stepped away, allowing the elder to pass in between them. Jor wondered when the talk of his children's coming into the world was going to end. He knew that traditional births weren't common among their people and hasn't been for thousands of years.

His family was immediately put under the radar when Lara, one day, returned to work obviously very pregnant. It was still talked about eleven years later. He knew that Lor-Em brought up the subject only to stir him. He hoped that Lor-Em hadn't heard the rumors about Lara which in fact weren't rumors at all.

"Kal," he took his son aside, "why are you portraying yourself like this? You are representing our family! I expect more from you if you want to be put on the council some day."

"I am trying my best, father. I've never been around any of the council members before."

"Just make sure not to make a fool of yourself when you speak to the Emperor and his wife."

Kal exhaled deeply and turned to see Emperor Zod and Empress Faora talking with a few councilmen and women. Faora looked indefinitely uninterested with that false smile painted on her lips. Her tight cheeks were painful to look at.

Well into the evening Kal was introduced several more councilmen and women to which he tried not to appear nervous. The women seemed to take a liking to him and smiled as he spoke and when he remained still and silent as well.

Interrupting the chatter around the room, Emperor Zod called everyone's attention. The room fell silent and Kal turned to the bearded Emperor and clenched his jaw, fearing that he was going to be called up to the front of the room, further embarrassing him.

Dru-Zod smiled, raising his hand. "As you all may know we are all gathered here today celebrate the birth of Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van-El!"

Everyone in the room turned to the El men and raised their flutes filled with sprites. Kal's cheeks paled at the amount of attention on him. His father kept a smile plastered on his face, painfully obvious he was also uncomfortable.

"They are a proud and esteemed family in this Empire. The Els have made huge contributions to the Empire and for that, we should all rejoice in their accomplishments, especially Jor-El's wife," he raised his glass, eyeing Jor-El with narrowed eyes.

Jor felt a knot form in his stomach. He knows.

After the clapping died down, Zod looked around the room at his subjects, turning his harsh gaze away from the Els. He wrapped an arm around his wife's slender waist, forcibly pulling her close and she forced a smile though she slightly resisted his hold.

"Since everyone is gathered here this evening I'd like to present a little…gift to you all." He snapped his fingers at the soldiers posted at the doors.

All eyes turned as the doors opened and two soldiers brought in a tall brunette woman, shackled by her wrists and ankles. She resisted as she was forcefully drug by Zod's men, grunting, heaving and scowling at the foreigners surrounding her.

"The Amazon Princess!" Zod's voice boomed through the hall.

The prisoner was pushed forward into the center of the room and all of the Kryptonians enclosed in on her, sizing her up from head to toe. Two men came a bit too close and she spat at them. Gasps were sounded and one of the soldiers zapped her with a spear and she fell to one knee, moaning in agony.

Kal weaved through the crowd to examine the so-called Amazon Princess. He hid behind one of the councilmen, eyeing the raven haired woman kneeling on the ground. When she lifted her head, his eyes widened at the beauty before him.

Her eyes like ice which reminded him of his mother's, hair long, dipped down to her waist, and thick sculpted eyebrows that accentuated her angular features and prominent cheekbones to taper her narrow jaw.

The princess was hoisted to her feet and she blew a strand of her hair from her eyes, grimacing at the onlookers. She felt like she was but a show for them that they'd gladly pay money to watch her suffer for pure enjoyment as she was being manhandled and occasionally zapped, searing her flesh.

"The Amazons have been a problem for us all for some time now," announced Emperor Zod. "I have since captured the Princess of their kind. For now, she is Kryptonian property and our prisoner of war."

Kal looked at the princess and their eyes met for a moment. She heaved, her chest rising and falling heavily as her stare intensified the longer he kept eyes on her.